D44 spindle check............

[1uglyranger]

JUst to clear up sombodys error from the wanted board. All Ford D44 knuckles have 5 Bolts. THats what makes them different, and no you can't just swap spindles to get cheby disc brakes, if it were that simple than no one would pay $700 for a conversion kit from the aftermarket. If someone can prove me wrong, please set me straight, but I have pulled many knuckles at the PNP, and never found any different....

[welndmn]

Yes, you can just swap spindles to get disc, early blazers used a 6 bolt spindle, EB's use a 6 bolt kunckle, (drum brake EBs')

[1uglyranger]

If that is true than what is the point of the aftermarket charging $700 for a conversion, that comes with 6 bolt knuckles?? I may be wrong, cause I have only had to deal with disc brake EB's, but that was the deciding factor in buying the 76 front end as opposed the the way cheaper earlier ones..

[Chris Dirt]

The chebby conversion kits do not include knuckles.
Drum brake Fords used six bolt spindles. The Ford disk spindles are five bolt.

[welndmn]

Originally posted by 1uglyranger:
<STRONG>If that is true than what is the point of the aftermarket charging $700 for a conversion, that comes with 6 bolt knuckles?? I may be wrong, cause I have only had to deal with disc brake EB's, but that was the deciding factor in buying the 76 front end as opposed the the way cheaper earlier ones..</STRONG>

they normally don't come with kunckles,

they charge that much because they can
Spindles about 50 each from a p& P IF you can find em (getting rare)
about 150-200 new
Rotors new about 150-200
Backing plate 10-20 each wrecking yard, about 75 new
Lines about 10 bucks new

[1uglyranger]

Well I Guess I stand corrected, I just wish that somebody would have told me this when I was shopping for my front end, I could have saved a lot of money looking for a 76..

[welndmn]

Originally posted by 1uglyranger:
<STRONG>Well I Guess I stand corrected, I just wish that somebody would have told me this when I was shopping for my front end, I could have saved a lot of money looking for a 76..</STRONG>

ehh the 76's IMO are junk, the ford Brakes suck, the Tie rod on the kunckle end sits very low,

the chevy disc are by far better

[yjtj]

why do you want 6 bolts? if this is all cause you want flat top knuckles use the knuckles off a 79 ford 3/4 ton d44. the 5 bolt spindles bolt right on and ya just have to grind a little to make the 1/2 ton brakes work. or ya could just use the 3/4 ton brakes. i used the 3/4 ton flat top knuckles to do a high steer on my 79 1/2 ton axle

[Gordon]

I have the chevy brakes but like the ford brakes better. reason is the bore in the knuckle where the spindle sits is bigger so it is easier to get hammered axle shafts in and out. by the time you put the tie rod over the knuckles it is high enough on the 76 bronco knuckles. another drawback is the offset you can run on your rims on the 76 bronco one more than 3 in backspacing may hit the tie rod.

[smurfsdad]

the reason i wasnt in error is because i have an EB with a d44 and did the swap myself pulling the spindles, backing plates and calipers from a blazer, the rotors from a f150 and with new pads, bolt kits and hoses have $200 in mine. they make $700 kits cuz there are people that will buy them instead of researching and doing it their selves.

[Paul Gagnon]

Originally posted by 1uglyranger:
<STRONG>If that is true than what is the point of the aftermarket charging $700 for a conversion, that comes with 6 bolt knuckles?? </STRONG>

Because suckers buy them. Just because there is a kit out there doesn't mean that is the only way to do it. Unless you build your truck from a catalogue. <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

[ 09-27-2001: Message edited by: Paul Gagnon ]

[smurfsdad]

thanks paul, i didnt want to put it that way myself even though i should have

[u2slow]

Originally posted by Paul Gagnon:
<STRONG>Because suckers buy them. </STRONG>

So true... <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

[1uglyranger]

Just to clarify, I sure as hell didn't build my truck out of a catalog..... I was just making a comparison to the price of the aftermarket. My front end is a 76, I use the Ford brakes, and have no complaint. And my tierod is mounted on top of the knuckle thanks to a 3/4" hiem, and a chromoly tierod.

[smurfsdad]

before you buy something ask here first. you will get lotsa different anwsers and then you will really be confused when you want something. but there is lotsa good info to be had, you just hafta take it for what it is and what you believe.

[Dustball]

Ford TTB D44 uses 6 bolt spindles-

[NewToy]

So you can do a tie rod over with a EB 75-older with Chevy brakes? What tie rods would you use? I hope to do this when I get my suspension figured out.

[1uglyranger]

I had a friend make me a tie rod out of 4130 chromoly, and a drag link too. Then he tapped them with a 3/4" fine thread, and I used chromoly hiem joints at all four ends. For now the passenger side is stacked, and it seems to be working ok.

[HIX]

From what I here the hiem joints wear out fairly quick. I am going to use the D$44 out of a 79 bronco narrowed to ranger width. What I am doing is using the tierod over bushings from bcbroncos in my swap. You ream out the knuckles and insert the bushings. Then you just slap in your narrowed steering components over the knuckles. And it only costs 16 bux a bushing.

[ 09-29-2001: Message edited by: HIX ]

[2bit]

hey Dustin....93/94 has 5 bolt because of abs sensors.

[1uglyranger]

The hiem joints that you have to worry about are the teflon lined ones, the teflon almost imedeatly wears out, and the joint falls apart. The ones that I am using are chromoly, with hardened steel balls, no teflon, just perfectly machined surfaces. I drive mine on the street, almost every day, and I have had no problems...